Chapter 1: The Heavens Will Rain, and Mother Will Remarry

“Mother, say no more. You should remarry and take my little brother with you. Don’t worry about me.”

After saying this, six-year-old Shen Dakui lowered his head and resumed cutting pigweed in the field. His sensible demeanor was nothing like that of an ordinary six-year-old child.

Six years old!

In modern times, a child at this age would still be snuggling in their parents’ arms, acting spoiled to avoid school, coaxed by grandparents to eat another bite, every meal a negotiation. Yet here, in this devouring ancient world, he must carry a basket larger than himself to work.

“My son…”

Zhang Sanniang, seeing her child so mature, could no longer hold back her tears. She threw aside the sickle from his hand and embraced him, sobbing bitterly.

“My son, I can’t bear it… I can’t bear to part with either of you.”

Her husband had been dead for three years, and she had resolved not to remarry. But the suitor was a county constable, an official, who offered a generous dowry and was willing to let her bring a child to study. Even her in-laws urged her to marry for the twenty strings of silver.

Yet, fearing she would sever all ties with the family, they allowed her to take only one child.

The eldest was six, the youngest four.

No matter which one she left behind, it was as if someone was carving flesh from her heart.

Shen Dakui sighed heavily, hugging his mother to comfort her.

“Mother, I’m already six. I know right from wrong. But my little brother is only four; he cannot be without you. If you leave him, he’ll surely forget you in time. But I won’t forget you.”

To say he’d forget is putting it mildly; he might even grow to resent her.

Seeing his mother still wavering, Shen Dakui hurried to persuade her further.

“Mother, if one of us can leave, it’s better than both of us being left behind in these fields, isn’t it?”

“Isn’t that right?”

The Shen elders had four sons, and their sons in turn gave them many grandchildren. To avoid conscription, the four households had never split. His father, the second son, died when a stone fell on him while working on the dike, and the meager compensation of five strings of silver went to the elders.

The household was ruled by the grandparents and eldest uncle and aunt; widows and orphans without labor had no say, let alone the luxury of schooling.

The one proposing was a county constable. Though a low-ranked official, for people like them it was a great fortune—like meat falling from the sky.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Sanniang wiped her tears, realizing her son’s words made sense.

If one could escape, it was already a blessing. She bit her lip in anger.

“The constable’s dowry is already generous, enough to feed the whole family for two or three years. But those greedy old in-laws are still not satisfied, forcing us to be separated from our own flesh and blood. It’s despicable…”

Shen Dakui said nothing, quietly wiping his mother’s tears. It was truly hateful.

Who wouldn’t want to leave if they could?

He didn’t know what kind of man his future stepfather would be, but at least he was a scholar. Surely, he wouldn’t let him suffer from hunger or force him to do such hard labor?

Yet, having taken over someone else’s body, how could he rob the man’s son of his opportunities?

“My son, just wait for me.”

Zhang Sanniang wiped her face dry and stroked her son’s tender cheek.

“When I’ve settled in our new home, I will find a way for you to study, too.”

Though she was just a village woman who could barely recognize a few words, she knew the importance of education. To pass the imperial exams and become a scholar was a great honor. Even working as a clerk in the county town, a man would return home full of pride.

At the very least, she wanted her son to attend the village school for a few years. To become a clerk was far better than ending up conscripted like his father.

Shen Dakui nodded vigorously, showing his neat row of eight teeth.

“Yes, I’ll wait for you, Mother. If I get the chance, I’ll visit you and my brother in the county.”

He’d been here for three years! Every day was spent gathering firewood or cutting pigweed—he’d never once left the village. As he grew, the work would only increase. But perhaps by then, he’d be able to leave and find a path for himself.

But what he didn’t expect was that, just as Zhang Sanniang resolved to take her youngest son, Old Man Shen suddenly changed his mind and insisted on keeping the younger child at home.

“I just consulted with Master Shen. He says Erkui’s birth date brings prosperity to our family. If you want to take a child, it can only be Dakui.”

Master Shen was the village soothsayer, sought after by all the surrounding villages.

This single sentence made everything clear to both Zhang Sanniang and Shen Dakui. It wasn’t about the boy’s auspicious birth. They simply wanted to hold onto the child she cherished most, so she would always think of her son and her former home—and continue to send aid.

Cunning and shameless!

Though she found the old couple’s behavior despicable, Zhang Sanniang still tried to reason with them gently.

Shen Dakui also argued that he was already six and could do much work, while his younger brother could only gather sticks, hoping reality would sway them.

But Old Man Shen not only wanted to take advantage, he refused to let anyone call him out on it.

He snapped, “Say another word and you won’t take any child.”

He calculated carefully! If the second branch was heartless enough to abandon their son, then Erkui would grow up and be conscripted, sparing the other grandsons. But if they remained soft-hearted and sent money, all the better.

Zhang Sanniang nearly ground her teeth to bits!

The laws of Great Yong decreed that children belonged to the father’s side. Whether a woman was divorced, separated, or remarried, the fate of her children depended on the man’s family. If the husband was dead, it was up to the parents-in-law; if they too were gone, then the brothers or male kin made the decision.

In short, unless the husband’s family voluntarily gave up a child, a mother could never take them away.

The power rested entirely with them. Fearing they’d refuse her even one child, Zhang Sanniang clung tightly to her eldest, forbidding him to speak.

One was better than none!

After an agreement was reached, they went to the yamen to register the marriage, signing documents confirming the in-laws’ consent to her remarriage and allowing the eldest grandson to go with her.

Soon after, the dowry from the Li family arrived.

Aside from the promised silver, there was soft, fine cotton and festive garments.

Though Zhang Sanniang never saw a coin, no one could take the cloth from her. She stayed up many nights making ten sets of clothes for her youngest son, dressing him in the smallest. She made a set for Shen Dakui as well; he couldn't go to the Li family in rags.

Erkui, though little, sensed something was happening.

“Mother, will you and big brother be leaving and not coming home?”

Next door, Shitou’s mother had left in a red dress on a donkey cart with red cloth, never to return.

“Erkui, remember, I will never abandon you, never…”

Zhang Sanniang could only hold her younger son and weep.

Shen Dakui sat silently clenching his fists. If only he’d seen through their plot sooner…

Now it was too late.

He stepped forward to comfort his brother. “Erkui, trust in Mother, trust in me. We will come back for you.”

Zhang Sanniang’s parents were long gone, but her brother still came to claim a share. He made a scene and cursed until, after much haggling, he got two strings of silver and left satisfied—without so much as a candy for his nephews.

The day they left the Shen household, Erkui cried and rolled on the ground, refusing to let his mother and brother go.

Inside the bridal sedan, Zhang Sanniang dug her nails into her palms until they bled, desperate to snatch her child back, but reason held her in place.

The village women looked on with envy. Others left for marriage in red dresses on ox carts, or worse, carrying a small bundle on foot. Zhang Sanniang had walked into the Shen family, but now she left in a sedan chair.

How could they not envy her?

A plump woman remarked, “If the constable fancied me, I’d bring no baggage—just go and bear him a dozen sons.”

Her husband chuckled, “Oh please, the constable’s forty-three—he couldn’t handle you.”

The villagers laughed and joked, the joys and sorrows of the family meaning nothing to them.

Shen Dakui walked away with his bundle, looking back at every step until the small figure was lost from sight.

“Mother, don’t be afraid. The constable is a scholar; he doesn’t do hard labor. He’s not like the men in our village.”